Q: My toddler isn’t talking. Does my child need speech therapy?
A: At 12 months of age, you should expect your child to begin using a few true words mixed in with consistent production of jargon (babbling with long strings of syllables with appropriate stress and intonation). By 18 months of age, your child is expected to produce approximately 50 words. It is normal development for them to produce word approximations at this age (e.g. wawa/water, bi/bike, etc.). By the age of 2, your child is expected to produce approximately 100 words and beginning to combine words into 2-3 word phrases (more milk please, no mommy, etc.). If you are concerned about your child’s language development please call or e-mail us and we will answer any specific questions you may have about your child.

Q: I can understand my child but no one else can understand what my child is saying. Does my child need speech therapy?
A: By 2 ½ – 3 years of age your child should be approximately 80% intelligible when speaking with a stranger. However, by 3-4 years of age children are expected to be 80-95% intelligible when speaking with a stranger. If you are concerned about the intelligibility of your child’s speech, e-mail or call and we will answer specific questions regarding your child.

Q: I’m concerned about my child’s speech and/or language development. What should I do next?
A: Discuss your concerns with your child’s physician. Generally, your physician will write a prescription for speech therapy if appropriate. You can also call or e-mail specific questions and we can provide additional information regarding your concerns and the appropriate steps to take when scheduling an evaluation.

Q: What is the difference between articulation, phonology, and language deficits?
A: Most children make mistakes while producing new words. However, a speech sound disorder is present when these errors occur past a developmentally appropriate age. An articulation disorder occurs when an individual has difficulty producing certain sounds. These sounds can be substituted, deleted, or added to a word (e.g. cat/dat, bike/bi, etc.). A phonological disorder occurs when certain sounds are substituted or deleted, involving a pattern of sounds. For example, all final consonants are deleted not just one sound. A language disorder refers to vocabulary, sentence structure, grammar, comprehension, the social use of language and the ability to put all those skills together when speaking or comprehending conversational speech.

Q: My child has been diagnosed with autism. Do you treat children with autism?
A: We have extensive experience working with children with Autism, Asperger’s Disorder and Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD) across a variety of skill levels. Each child is evaluated as an individual regardless of diagnosis and each child’s treatment plan is designed to address the needs of your child.

Q: My child has a rare syndrome or developmental disability. Can you provide treatment for my child?
A: We have on many occasions evaluated children with a variety of rare conditions (e.g. Fragile X Syndrome, Niemann-Pick Type C, Angelman Syndrome, etc). Regardless of the diagnosis we evaluate and treat the specific speech, language and/or swallowing deficits of your child to best meet their needs and work together with families to achieve the best results.

Q: Will my insurance pay for speech therapy?
A: Most insurance plans cover speech therapy; however, every insurance plan is different. We would be happy to contact your insurance provider prior to scheduling an evaluation to determine your insurance benefits and obtain prior authorization if required. If your child has Medicaid, Katie Beckett Medicaid, or HPN Medicaid an evaluation indicating that your child presents with a speech/language/swallowing disorder and speech therapy is a covered benefit with a prescription from your doctor.

Q: My child receives therapy through the school district or Nevada Early Intervention Services (NEIS). Can you also provide additional therapy services?
A: Yes! School-based speech therapy is a related service that supports the educational program for students who have a communication disorder. Nevada Early Intervention Services also provides therapy in the home but often the services provided are limited due to increased scheduling demands. We provide therapy in the home environment that supports the child’s language goals in all settings and can also support the goals addressed at school. We frequently communicate with your child’s team at school to provide additional services and support your child’s current plan by providing individual therapy to address their communication goals.

Q: How are speech and/or language disorders diagnosed?
A: A Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) also referred to as a speech therapist, can evaluate your child. The SLP may use a formal standardized assessment if appropriate for your child or may evaluate your child’s language skills informally by parent report and observation of communication skills. The SLP will then make a recommendation for frequency of treatment and specific speech, language and/or swallowing goals for your child. The SLP will provide all documentation for the family, doctor, and insurance.

Q: What is a Certified Autism Specialist?
A: The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) offers certification programs to licensed professionals who work with individuals with special needs. A Certified Autism Specialist must have earned a Master’s Degree, demonstrate over two years’ experience working with children with autism, must have taken extensive continuing education in the field of autism and must pass the Autism Competency Exam.

If you have any additional questions or concerns please feel free to contact us by phone or e-mail and we would be happy to answer any additional questions.